BSc (Hons) Medical Science

Core units:

• Academic and Professional Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing. 
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. 

Core units:

• Introduction to Medical Sciences: This unit will provide you with a firm grounding and understanding of the multi-disciplinary nature of medical sciences. It will consider biomedical, psychological, engineering and other approaches to medical sciences as well as allowing you to discuss contemporary issues in medical sciences, developing your own interests in the subject which might influence future study. 
• Exploring and Understanding Science: The core skills needed for a career in medical science include the ability to evaluate reports, analyse data and be familiar with the ethical issues pertaining to medical science research to be able to present your research findings in a professional manner. 
• Cell Biology: Cells are the basic unit of life and hence knowledge of cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit introduces key themes in cell biology to provide a sound underpinning knowledge of cells and the way they function. It will equip you with an understanding of cell structure, function, control, basic molecular biology, the interaction of cells with viruses and the basic experimental techniques used to investigate cells.
• Chemistry: You will be provided with an understanding of some aspects and processes within fundamental chemistry and analytical chemistry and develop your laboratory skills. The unit will predominately be delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. The laboratory sessions will enable reinforcement of the theoretical concepts by dealing with experimentally generated data and will allow for one-to-one and small group discussions.
• Introduction to Immunology:  This unit will develop your knowledge of the cellular and molecular basis of innate and acquired immunity in a mix of practical lab sessions and lectures.
• Biological & Cognitive Psychology: Examines the relationship between the biology of the brain and how we process information, think and make decisions.

Core units:

• Introduction to Medical Physics and Technology: This unit will introduce the fundamental aspects of physics and technology relevant to medical science, including biomechanics, fluids, acoustics, optics, radiation, electronic sensors and instrumentation, signal processing, and scientific computing. You will develop your practical skills by using coding and simulation software to reinforce the theoretical concepts.
• Biochemistry: Providing the fundamental basics of biochemistry, this unit will give you a broad overview of macromolecules (structure and function) and their metabolism. You’ll also have an appreciation of systems biology.
• Biological Psychology: the study of the neural correlates of various core brain functions and impairment associated with brain damages. This unit will develop your analytical thinking, synthetic thinking and your ability to search for, recognise and critically evaluate information. 
• Functional Anatomy:  An introduction to the form and function of the human skeleton from the viewpoints of biomedical science, biomechanical engineering and digital visualisation.
• Introduction to Pharmacology and Toxicology: An introduction to the concepts, practices and research of pharmacology. This will lead to an understanding of how pharmacological agents are administered, distributed throughout the body, metabolised and excreted.

​Option units

• Advanced Cell Biology: This unit will examine the operation of cells and the control, development and modification of cells to fulfil highly specialised roles in multicellular organisms. The unit aims to equip students with a detailed understanding of cell structure and function, control and regulation of cellular processes and the development of multicellular organisms.
• Advanced Immunology: This unit will help you develop a greater appreciation of the molecular and genetic basis of innate and adaptive immune responses. You will form a deep understanding of medically important immune conditions, their detection and treatment. 

You may choose to complete an optional minimum 30-week work placement by enrolling on a sandwich-year course, which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement (sandwich) year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. Alternatively, you can undertake a short placement of minimally 2 weeks, and complete your course in three years.

Core units:

• Neuroimaging: You will acquire in-depth technical knowledge and understanding of various neuroimaging and neuroscientific techniques, including practice. This unit will explore how these techniques work, their limitations, and what they have been used to demonstrate in psychology, focusing on current research and practice, including data analysis.

• Medical Science Project: Researching an aspect of medical science that suits your career aims and aspirations, you will produce a report in a specified style.

Option units:

• Advanced Pharmacology & Toxicology:  Understand how different drugs affect humans, and gain insights into the mechanism of how pharmacological agents act on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as pharmacogenetics, and approaches to personalised medicines. 

• Advanced Systems Biology: This unit teaches you to manage and analyse big data, understand and apply computer modelling processes to test hypotheses relevant to biomedical science research.

• Pathophysiology: The detailed study of the molecular bases of a number of important clinical states will be a major component of the unit. We aim to develop your knowledge and understanding of the principal biological mechanisms involved in a range of pathological processes, inherited, malignant, infectious and degenerative diseases including cancer, inherited disease, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases, immunological conditions and organ-specific disorders. The transmission of infections, the role of the scientist in control and prevention of disease will be discussed, together with the social and political issues raised by such measures such as vaccination, hygiene and sanitation.
• Advanced Topics in Genetics: You will consider how this modern discipline underpins all aspects of biology. You will be actively involved in discussions about the ethical issues of genetics and introduced to bioinformatics analysis of data. We will consider the roles pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, endophenotypes and optogenetics play in current research outputs as well as the classical model.
• Parasitology & Epidemiology: This unit will provide a broad overview of how parasites influence human and wildlife health, behaviour and population dynamics. You’ll also learn how policies are adapted to protect public health and the health of farmed and wildlife populations.

• Diagnostic Medicine: This unit will develop your knowledge and understanding on the type of diagnostics implemented in biomedical and imaging laboratories to identify different types of pathology.

• Current Trends in Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience: This unit is aimed at students who are interested in clinical neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience and who might what to have a career in research or clinical settings. You will acquire comprehensive knowledge about current trends in clinical and cognitive neuroscience research and related methodologies in order to be able to critically evaluate models and evidence in the research field.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

Should you choose to undertake the optional placement year, you will begin your placement after completion of your second year of study and you must complete a minimum of 30 weeks. You can also undertake a short, optional placement of at least 2 weeks as part of your studies.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator.  

Through timetabled sessions and one-to-one appointments, they’ll help support you in your placement search including advice on finding a placement, information and advice on all aspects of job searching and job applications, as well as ensuring your proposed placement meets the requirements of your course.  

Our CareersBU service is also available throughout your time at BU, offering services like CV checking and careers fairs to meet employers.  

Placement Development Advisors will support you once you have started your sandwich placement – so you will be able to maintain contact with the university throughout.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We welcome students with a wide range of interests and with a science background. You will have problem-solving skills and a proven ability to express yourself well orally and in writing, as well as working well in groups and as an individual.

We are looking for applicants who are interested in the fields of human health, biology and the science that underpins medicine. Strong candidates would be those who have done some volunteer or other work to expand their practical skills in the laboratory.

We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their UCAS applications, there are no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU.

You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply webpages.

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent graded qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications on the UCAS tariff tables when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) and the rest of the application to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will still confirm your place.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

If you are unable to meet the entry requirements, we may be able to make you an offer through AccessBU if you meet certain criteria e.g. you have been in care or live in an area where fewer people typically progress to Higher Education. If you don't meet our published tariff, we will accept you at least 8 points below if your personal circumstances match our AccessBU criteria. 

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments.  Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others.  As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

Your degree will be centred around developing scientific knowledge, transferable skills and laboratory experience that will give you a range of career options. We expect our graduates will find work in scientific, technical or research fields relating to their chosen pathway, either by making an original contribution to knowledge in their field by further postgraduate study, or by working in a dignositic, pharmaceutical or research organisation.

Our staff have a wealth of research, educational and professional practice experience and are therefore well-placed to ensure you are ready for the world of work once you graduate.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees. Many graduates go straight on to Doctoral level study in medicine, genetics and neuroscience.

Research degrees

If you are a BU graduate you are eligible for a 20% ‘loyalty’ discount on the published fees for further programmes with us!  

Depending on your qualifications and experiences, you can choose to undertake a MRes or PhD level research degree. Bournemouth University has a strong science research foundation within our Department of Life & Environmental Sciences and through a number of research centres, which explores theory, education and professional practice. 

Visit our postgraduate research courses for further details about research degree options with the Faculty of Science & Technology and the funding options available. 

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course, including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Sarah Upson is the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Medical Science and a Lecturer in Pharmacology. 

Having studied at Queen Mary University of London, UCL and The Johns Hopkins University, Dr Anna Mantzouratou has been a lecturer in Human Genetics at BU since 2018. She is a specialist in the field of reproductive and preimplantation genetics.

Dr Hartley's main research interest is in gene function and understanding of how genes affect basic cellular processes - especially the processes relevant to ageing and disease in humans.